The present invention relates generally to apparatuses and methods for moving snow, and more particularly to apparatuses and methods for removing snow from travel surfaces.
In the snow removal industry, snow is ordinarily removed from travel surfaces such as roads, runways, driveways, bridges, parking lots, and the like for purposes of safety and improved user travel. Generally, snow is removed with a snowplow, a shovel, a blower, a broom, an auger, an air blower, or a combination thereof Despite numerous developments in snow removal technology, several problems still exist with conventional snow removal apparatuses and methods.
There is a need for a snow removal apparatus which can remove snow from obstructions and discontinuities in the travel surface. Travel surfaces often have features such as potholes, cracks, speed bumps, manhole covers, storm drains, rumble-strips, or other similar obstructions and discontinuities. Plows and other conventional snow removal apparatuses are frequently unable to remove snow from such features in the travel surface. The snow left in these areas can cause slippery spots on the travel surface, making the travel surface unsafe even after a snow removal apparatus has removed most of the snow. Additionally, snow which accumulates in these areas can contribute to the deterioration of the travel surface. Specifically, this snow can melt and seep into the travel surface, later expanding and contracting as the resulting water alternately freezes and thaws.
There is also a need for a snow removal apparatus which can remove snow from a travel surface with varying cross-sectional elevations. For example, travel surfaces such as roads and runways are often sloped or provided with a crown having a high central elevation and lower outer edges. Generally, the wider the travel surface, the larger the difference between such elevations. Alternatively, travel surfaces can slope inwardly from high outer edges to a central depressed gutter. This type of travel surface shape can serve a number of different purposes, such as to facilitate drainage down the center of the travel surface or to prevent pooling of melted snow, rainwater, runoff, waste, and the like.
Additionally, it is often necessary to remove all or nearly all of the snow from a travel surface. Some travel surfaces (e.g., airport runways and freeways) cannot be used or are dangerous to use unless snow is entirely or nearly entirely removed from the travel surface prior to use. In these applications it may not be sufficient to remove most of the snow from a travel surface, leaving patches of missed snow. These areas of missed snow can be highly dangerous and/or unacceptable and can cause slippery spots on the travel surface. Therefore, airports, freeways, and other similar facilities can be subject to shut-down until snow is entirely or nearly entirely removed from the travel surface. In these cases, delays in removing snow from the travel surface can cost the owners, operators, users, and customers of the travel surfaces significant amounts of lost time and/or money. It is therefore highly desirable to have a snow removal apparatus capable of removing all or nearly all snow from a travel surface or from a given area of a travel surface.
Conventional snow removal apparatuses generally remove snow relatively well from areas of the travel surface having the highest elevations. However, conventional snow removal apparatuses generally leave snow on areas of the travel surface having the lowest elevations. In applications in which it is particularly necessary to remove snow from crowned or centrally-depressed travel surfaces (e.g., freeways, highways, airport runways, and taxiways), conventional snow removal apparatuses must often make several passes to remove all or nearly all snow from the travel surface. Alternatively, multiple vehicles are needed to clear snow from the travel surface. Often, even after multiple passes have been made with conventional snow removal apparatuses, snow still remains in areas having the lowest elevations. Therefore, a need exists for a snow removal apparatus capable of removing snow from a travel surface having a varying cross-sectional elevation without necessitating numerous passes and without missing significant quantities of snow.
The speed with which a snow removal apparatus removes snow from a travel surface is also an important consideration. Removal of snow is generally a relatively labor intensive operation, and can therefore be fairly expensive and can require skilled operators for satisfactory results.
The durability of snow removal apparatuses is also an important design consideration. Snow removal apparatuses are often used in relatively extreme conditions. Also, because snow and/or darkness often conceals obstructions, discontinuities, and other features on a travel surface, it is desirable that the snow removal system be resilient enough to overcome these surface features without sustaining damage, causing damage to the connected vehicle or damaging the travel surface. To overcome hidden obstructions, discontinuities, and other features on travel surfaces, conventional snow removal apparatuses are often designed to jump or trip over such features. Unfortunately, the snow removal apparatus later returns to the travel surface having missed some snow and having permitted escape of snow beneath the blade. Additionally, the snow removal apparatus often jumps or bounces relatively high and then crashes down onto the travel surface, possibly damaging the snow removal apparatus, the vehicle to which the snow removal apparatus is attached, and/or the travel surface. Therefore, a snow removal apparatus is needed which can overcome these surface features without missing snow and without causing damage to the snow removal apparatus, the attached vehicle, or the travel surface.
Snow removal apparatuses that can be relatively easily mounted on and removed from vehicles V are highly desirable. In the snow removal industry, it is often necessary to remove snow removal apparatuses from vehicles when snowfall is unlikely or when the vehicle is needed for other operations. This need to remove or remount a snow removal apparatus on a vehicle occurs relatively frequently. In some cases, governments, municipalities, contractors, and owner-operators often use the same vehicles for snow removal and for other unrelated operations such as waste hauling and transportation of soil, gravel, and the like. For example, snowplows are often coupled to garbage trucks, dump trucks, and the like. Municipalities and contracting companies often employ these and other types of vehicles for multiple purposes (including snow removal). When these vehicles are not removing snow, it can be desirable to remove the snow removal apparatus from the vehicle to preserve the snow removal apparatus and to reduce the weight of the vehicle. Similarly, when snowfall does occur, it is often necessary to remount the snow removal apparatuses onto vehicles as rapidly as possible. It is therefore desirable to be able to remove the snow removal apparatus from a vehicle and to remount the snow removal apparatus on the vehicle relatively rapidly and relatively easily.
A snow removal apparatus that can throw snow relatively far from a travel surface is also highly desirable. It is highly desirable to throw snow away from the travel surface to prevent the snow from blowing or drifting back onto cleared areas. Additionally, snow piled immediately adjacent travel surfaces can pile up and reduce visibility, making corners and intersections particularly dangerous.
Conventional snow removal apparatuses are often unable to remove snow from unpaved or partially paved surfaces without damaging the travel surface. This is particularly true in applications in which the travel surface is not paved and/or is covered with organic material or with gravel (e.g., gravel driveways, athletic fields, hiking or biking trails, ice skating surfaces, railroad tracks, etc.). Conventional snow removal apparatuses such as snowplows often remove some or all of the organic ground cover and/or gravel along with the snow, thereby wearing away or damaging the travel surface.
In addition to the above mentioned design considerations, snow removal apparatuses that are durable, easy to manufacture, easy to assemble, and inexpensive are highly desirable for obvious reasons. In light of the above design requirements and limitations, a need exists for a snow removal system and method for removing alternatively relatively large or small quantities of snow from a travel surface, which causes minimal to no damage to the travel surface during snow removal, is capable of moving snow relatively rapidly, and can be contoured to overcome obstructions, discontinuities, and other features on the travel surface. Each preferred embodiment of the present invention achieves one or more of these results.
The present invention employs a number of features addressing the problems shared by conventional snow removal apparatuses and methods. The snow removal apparatus of the present invention is preferably moveable along a travel surface in a travel direction and is operable to remove snow from the travel surface by rotating a belt, a chain, a brush, or other conveyor about an axis to remove snow from the travel surface and to throw the snow at an angle relative to the travel direction.
The snow removal apparatus can be coupled to a vehicle in any number of different locations using any number of mounting structures and methods. For example, the snow removal apparatus can be coupled to the underside of the vehicle, between axles of the vehicle, to the front of the vehicle, to the back of the vehicle, to one side of the vehicle, or can be towed behind the vehicle. However, in some highly preferred embodiments, the snow removal apparatus is coupled to the underside of the vehicle relatively near the travel surface.
The present invention preferably includes a frame coupled to a vehicle, a drive mechanism having a first axle coupled to the frame and defining a first axis, a second axle coupled to the frame and defining a second axis, and a conveyor extending about the first and second axles for rotation about the axles.
The frame is preferably a relatively rigid structure and is preferably removably coupled to the vehicle (e.g., the underside of the vehicle). Alternatively, the frame can include wheels, treads, tracks, skis, or other similar members to support the snow removal apparatus for operation independent from or in conjunction with the vehicle.
The first and second axles are preferably relatively elongated members such as shafts, bars, shanks, rollers, and the like. Alternatively, the first and second axles can be relatively shorter and can be defined by two or more longitudinally spaced members. In either case, the axles either define elements about which the conveyor rotates or (more preferably) rotatable support wheels about which the conveyor rotates. In this regard, the term xe2x80x9cwheelxe2x80x9d refers to any rotatable elements functioning like a wheel about which the conveyor can pass, including without limitation pulleys, gears, discs, sprockets, and the like. The first and second axles and/or the wheels thereon are adapted to rotate with respect to the frame and about the first and second axes, respectively. In some preferred embodiments, the first and second axles are rotatably coupled to the frame so that they can each rotate independently of the frame and can support the conveyor. The first and second axles can be (but are not necessarily) the same size and shape, substantially parallel to one another, and at relatively equal distances from the travel surface during operation of the snow removal apparatus.
The conveyor is preferably a single loop-shaped element. In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the conveyor is a belt. In other embodiments, the conveyor can be a number of individual elements coupled or linked together to define a loop. For example, the belt can be a chain, a series of connected slats, or another similarly configured structure. The conveyor preferably extends about or past one or more driving wheels or other driving members for driving the conveyor. The driving wheels or other driving members can be the axles (or wheels thereon), which are driven in any manner desired. In such cases, either or both axles can be driven to cause the conveyor to rotate.
The conveyor preferably has a first and a second side (e.g., defining an inner surface and outer surface). At least part of the first side of the conveyor is preferably in contact with the first and second axles as the conveyor travels about the axles. The second side of the conveyor faces the travel surface as the conveyor rotates about the axles.
A plurality of bristles are preferably located on the second side of the conveyor. Preferably, the bristles are distributed across the second side of the conveyor, such as in an evenly or patterned distribution across the second side of the conveyor. Also preferably, the bristles are positioned on the conveyor so that they stand up and extend away from the conveyor. In this manner, the bristles can be dragged through snow by the conveyor, can drag a quantity of snow from the travel surface to one side of the snow removal apparatus, and can throw the snow away from the travel surface.
In some embodiments, the first axle is driven by a prime mover. The prime mover preferably transmits driving force to the first axle directly or indirectly (e.g., through one or more gears, drive belts, chain drives, or other elements and assemblies). The prime mover preferably drives the first axle about the first axis, which in turn causes the second axle to rotate about the second axis. In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the second axle can be driven directly or indirectly by the prime mover or another prime mover in addition to or instead of the first axle.
In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, an elevator is coupled to the frame and to the vehicle. The elevator can selectively raise and lower the snow removal apparatus with respect to the travel surface. In this manner, the elevator can lift the snow removal apparatus off of the travel surface so that a clearance exists between the snow removal apparatus and the travel surface. This is particularly useful for transportation of the snow removal apparatus to and from a work site. Similarly, the elevator can lift the snow removal apparatus over obstructions. Also, the snow removal apparatus can be lowered toward the travel surface in order to more fully engage the travel surface. In some highly preferred embodiments of the present invention, the elevator can also or instead be used to attach the snow removal apparatus to the vehicle. For example, the elevator can be used in attaching and/or detaching the snow removal apparatus (e.g., the frame of the snow removal apparatus) to the vehicle.
Some embodiments of the present invention are employed on vehicles having a snowplow. By way of example only, a snowplow can be coupled to the front of the vehicle while the conveyor is preferably coupled to the underside of the vehicle as mentioned above. Alternatively, the snowplow can be coupled to the side of the vehicle with the snow removal apparatus coupled to the front or side of the vehicle.
In these and other preferred embodiments of the present invention, the snow removal apparatus is employed on a vehicle having a blower. Preferably, the blower is positioned on the vehicle to direct air, oxygen, antifreeze, or other fluid onto the travel surface to blow snow off of the travel surface or to deposit material on the travel surface. Additionally, the blower can blow a relatively hot fluid onto the travel surface for melting snow so that the snow can be more easily removed from the travel surface.
If desired, a support plate can be located between the first and second axles for providing a backing to the conveyor as it traverses the surface being cleaned. The support plate preferably has a relatively horizontal surface or series of surfaces adjacent to the travel surface during operation of the snow removal apparatus. Preferably, the conveyor extends across the support plate and is held in position by the support plate when the snow removal apparatus is in contact with the surface being cleared. The support plate can provide a more evenly distributed downward force for the conveyor so that the conveyor is pressed against the snow-covered travel surface and more fully engages the snow thereon, rather than riding up and over the snow. Alternatives to the support plate include a series of rollers spaced between the first and second axles and positioned to hold the conveyor in operational engagement with the travel surface and the snow covering the travel surface.
Other features and advantages of the invention along with the organization and manner of operation thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims, and drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout.